Construction and validation of an ecological version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test applied to an elderly population

ABSTRACT

The goal of this project was to construct and validate an ecological version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) aimed at the elderly. This was accomplished by replacing the geometric stimuli of the traditional version with stimuli belonging to the semantic category of transport vehicles, and by elimination of the color yellow. The results showed the ecological WCST version was preferred over the traditional version and older people felt less tired during test performance. In the two independent normal elderly groups, all pairs of scores that can be derived from the WCST correlated significantly with each other. Six of 11 outcome measures of the traditional WCST-128 (long) version were significantly influenced by age. By contrast, in the WCST-64 (short) version and in the ecological WCST-54 version only one measure was affected by the age variable. No significant effect of education level or gender emerged from the results in any WCST version. Again, the subjects with cognitive deterioration had lower performance in the ecological WCST-54 version than in the two traditional WCST versions. It seems reasonable to assume that the ecological version of WCST is more discriminating and has more advantages than the traditional versions. Further research on individual differences in the performance on this task will increase understanding of the components of the test, and of the variety of factors and possible deficits that could lead to an impaired performance of the test.     

Sex differences in cognition in healthy elderly individuals

ABSTRACT

Sex differences in patterns of cognitive test performance have been attributed to factors, such as sex hormones or sexual dimorphisms in brain structure, that change with normal aging. The current study examined sex differences in patterns of cognitive test performance in healthy elderly individuals. Cognitive test scores of 957 men and women (age 67–89), matched for overall level of cognitive test performance, age, education, and depression scale score, were compared. Men and women were indistinguishable on tests of auditory divided attention, category fluency, and executive functioning. In contrast, women performed better than men on tests of psychomotor speed and verbal learning and memory, whereas men outperformed women on tests of visuoconstruction and visual perception. Our finding that the pattern of sex differences in cognition observed in young adults is observed in old age has implications for future studies of both healthy elderly individuals and of those with cognitive disorders.     

内隐刻板印象中反刻板印象信息的干预研究

该研究以性别职业刻板印象和自我-职业刻板印象的内隐联想测验（IAT）为实验材料和测量工具．通过提供反刻板印象信息为干预策略进行实验。研究表明：职业一性别刘板印象和职业一自我刻板印象层次不同,在总体上具有显著的相关;大学生在职业-性别刻板印象和职业一自我刻板印象上都存在极其显著的内隐效应,女大学生显示极强的内隐职业一自我刻板印象;在职业-自我刻板印象上,反刻板印象信息具有显著的干预作用,对男大学生的干预作用比对女大学生的大;在内隐水平上反刻板印象信息只能部分消除刻板印象;设计的[AT纸笔测验版本是可行的;在学校教育中渗透性别平等教育将是十分必要的和可行的。     

The Joint Effects of Stress,Coping, and Coping Resources on Depressive Symptoms in the Elderly

The objective of the present study was to examine the joint effects of stress, coping, and coping resources in predicting depressive symptoms. A community sample comprising 194 people aged 65 and older was interviewed. Task-oriented coping and emotion-oriented coping both appeared to be directly related to depressive symptoms. In addition, emotion-oriented coping moderated the impact of stress to varying degrees, depending on the amount of stress experienced. Coping resources (social support and coping self-efficacy) also were directly related to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, coping self-efficacy appeared to be related to the kind of coping strategies used. Respondents with higher coping self-efficacy used more task-oriented coping and less emotion-oriented coping. These findings suggest that it is advisable to include coping resources when studying stress-coping processes. Developing prevention and intervention programs aimed at teaching people adaptive coping strategies and helping them to build up their coping resources seems advisable.     

Cultural Difference in Stereotype Perceptions and Performances in Nonverbal Deductive Reasoning and Creativity

A total of 182 undergraduate students from China and the United States participated in a study examining the presence of stereotypical perceptions regarding creativity and deductive reasoning abilities, as well as the influence of stereotype on participants' performance on deductive reasoning and creativity in nonverbal form. The results showed that participants from both China and the United States believed that Americans have better creativity abilities than Chinese and that Chinese have better deductive reasoning skills than Americans. Significant cultural difference in the performances on the measures of creativity was found. The cultural difference in deductive reasoning was found between Chinese participants in China and the Caucasian (not the Asian) participants in the United States, which were somewhat congruent to the stereotypical perceptions. However, the study did not find that stereotypic perceptions directly influenced participants' performance on deductive reasoning and creativity.     

刻板印象威胁对学习困难中学生成就动机的影响

研究探讨学习困难中学生的刻板印象威胁及其对成就动机的影响。研究1采用实验法诱发学习困难中学生的刻板印象威胁,研究表明刻板印象威胁阻碍学习困难中学生心理旋转任务表现的提高。研究2在刻板印象威胁情境中,采用问卷法测量学习困难中学生的成就动机,刻板印象威胁组被试相比于对照组的成就动机水平较低,回避失败动机较高。研究3在刻板印象威胁诱发后加入自我肯定操纵,结果发现自我肯定组被试与对照组相比成就动机水平较高,回避失败动机水平较低。     

品牌来源国刻板印象的双重表现及其改变

研究探讨了品牌来源国刻板印象的双重表现及其改变,结果表明：从外显的层面上看,相对国外品牌,消费者普遍认为国产品牌在质量印象、传播印象上不如国外品牌,在价格印象上比国外品牌好,在服务印象和整体印象上二者无差异;相对国外品牌,消费者对国产品牌具有更为积极的内隐品牌刻板印象;以直接劝说方式激发的民族情感不能改变外显品牌来源国刻板印象,但是以间接劝说方式激发的民族情感可以使消费者对国产综合型产品的外显整体印象更为积极;无论以直接还是间接劝说方式激发的民族情感均不能使消费者对国产品牌产生更强的正向内隐品牌来源国刻板印象;品牌来源国刻板印象的激活并非完全的自动化过程。     

语言背后的心理——群体间的语言偏见

不同群体间普遍存在着语言偏见, 表现为人们倾向于使用抽象度较高的词语对内群体成员的积极行为和外群体成员的消极行为进行描述, 而对内群体成员的消极行为、外群体成员的积极行为则使用抽象度较低的词语进行描述。社会认同需要和认知预期倾向是它产生的两大心理机制, 其影响因素包括社交情境、群体和个体等方面, 同时它会对群体刻板印象及语言主体间的社会关系产生重要的影响。后续研究需要进一步探讨语言偏见的其他表现形式、研究方法及本土化研究等问题。     

大学生内隐职业性别刻板印象研究

采用内隐联想测验和刻板解释偏差两种测量内隐社会认知的方法考察了60名大学生被试的内隐职业性别刻板印象。结果表明,大学生也存在非常明显的内隐职业性别刻板印象,刻板程度在性别、专业上没有显著差异。在男女职业评价刻板印象上,男大学生表现出非常明显的刻板印象,女大学生的观念已有所改变。用内隐联想测验和刻板解释偏差测量这两种方法测量大学生的内隐职业性别刻板印象,在被试的性别变量上得到的结果不一致。     

广告中性别刻板印象的信息加工方式

通过操纵注意方式、刻板印象的启动方式及被试的刻板化状态,探讨了广告中性别刻板印象信息加工的方式和特点。结果表明：（1） 广告中性别刻板印象信息的加工是自动化加工和控制性加工共同作用的结果,刻板化启动引起更多的自动化加工,反刻板化启动引起更多的控制性加工;（2）注意方式影响广告中性别刻板印象信息的控制性加工而不影响其自动化加工,集中注意时控制性加工的贡献最大;（3）对于广告中的性别刻板化信息,刻板化程度高的人具有更严格的判断标准。